The Event - season 1 thread (1 Viewer)

[NeilO]

How is it that we have a world wide communications network, touch screen phones that make the communicators on the original Star Trek look like a pathetic joke, and we can't even get back to the moon? Different technologies develop at profoundly different speeds. Terraforming is completely different than teleporting.

We can get back to the moon - we just don't want to spend the money, but ignoring that the terraforming point is valid.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Originally Posted by NeilO


We can get back to the moon - we just don't want to spend the money, but ignoring that the terraforming point is valid.

Thanks... I realize it's a really sorta odd nitpicky thing for a show that has lots of things one can criticize it for, but the whole "they just need us for our planet" thing seems almost unthinkably lame for such a technologically advanced species. I was kinda hoping when they were talking about needing our world, that it would be something more than that a supernova was going to destroy their planet. My first guess earlier on had been that since they don't seem to age, and thus live a lot longer than us, maybe their planet had over-population issues or environmental destruction issues, and that's why they needed more room. I think that might have been a little more interesting... but hey, what do I know? I don't want to completely trash the thing until the season ends, I try to give all shows the length of their season to figure things out because sometimes unexpected twists and turns can make things that originally seemed lame actually work a lot better when you know the full story.


This certainly isn't the worst show ever, and it had a great cast going for it... but in terms of overall quality of storytelling, I don't think it's really any better than the new "V" (which really isn't all that good either).

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I notice more they seem unable to locate an unpopulated "Class M" (habitable/goldilocks zone) planet.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Judging by Hal Holbrook's character, they first discovered earth (or parted ways with earth?) thousands of years ago. It's possible that the ecological disaster facing their planet has resulted in much of their technology failing, as efforts are directed to simply maintaining habitability for as long as possible.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

This show asks us to believe the aliens have the technology to find hospital planets, but didn't identify a single one other than Earth in over 60 (Earth) years. The show thus asks us to accept they were always going to eventually take over our planet if they didn't find somewhere else to go (they've known their planet is dying from Day 1).

 

[Doug Smith]

I agree with Josh - at the beginning of this series Sophia was benevolent towards humans in a kind of "prime directive' way. Then, extremely quickly, she turns 180 degrees. This show has now become "Pinky and the Brain' - Sophia wakes up every morning and "wants to take over the world". It makes one wonder if there ever was a true direction to this series. I just read today that the show has dropped 26 percent since returning from hiatus. I'll continue to watch until the end finally comes, but has anyone heard if there will be any true closure if this series tanks?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

They're assuming the Leila will be a bridge to make the flu less lethal to humans. I think it'd be awesome if Leila became the bridge in the opposite way, allowing it to mutate so as to infect Sophia's people.

Originally Posted by Doug Smith She's had one plan -- decimate the human population via a highly lethal influenza strain -- and so far she's carried it out pretty successfully. Everything else -- subverting the presidency, kidnapping Leila -- has been in the aid of that plan.

 

[ScottH]

I had to laugh at the longest 3 story mall staircase in the history of mankind.

 

[Doug Smith]

Near the beginning of the series we were told that these travellers were here because of some upheaval on their planet. Sophia's son just found out this cataclysm is happenning at a much faster rate, and could doom their species. When they left that planet these aliens must have known something could go south back home and what might happen to them. I still find this 180 degree turn a little over the top, considering what these creatures were like at the beginning of the series. Sophia's "plan" has only come around relatively recently, which is essentially the same one her son had - a son whom Sophia chastised ad nauseum because of his moral choices. Now all of a sudden Sophia's is virtually identical. It just seems odd to me. I think this new more violent direction the series is taking is much more in tune to this shows ratings supernova rather than to any alien one. The writers changed direction, probably during the hiatus, but I must say it does make for a more interesting show.

 

[TravisR]

The writers changed direction, probably during the hiatus, but I must say it does make for a more interesting show.

I have to agree. It seems like about 2/3 of the way through the season they started doing the sci-fi version of 24 (with things like political assassination, people who have to make impossible life or death choices, the greater good, etc.). It shows how good 24 was because it used plots that are crazy as The Event's but 24 rarely looked as ridiculous as The Event routinely does.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Just watched last night's episode, and yeah, ridiculous. I don't know why I'm still watching it, but I do.


I know I've said this before, but it's stunning to me to see a president (or acting president) in the Oval Office talking on a cell phone - it would just never happen. Presidents aren't allowed to have cell phones they could use that way, precisely for the reason the show demonstrates - because all of those communications by law are public record, and also because the risk of a potential blackmail or similar type circumstance. Am I really the only person in the viewing audience that knows this? I didn't really think it was top secret. There are just a lot of basic, little things like that in this show that drive me nuts.


Also, I really didn't need the slow motion flashback of Simon in the flower shop and the closeup of the flowers to understand what was happening there. How dumb do they think we are?

 

[NeilO]

Originally Posted by TravisR

The writers changed direction, probably during the hiatus, but I must say it does make for a more interesting show.

I have to agree. It seems like about 2/3 of the way through the season they started doing the sci-fi version of 24 (with things like political assassination, people who have to make impossible life or death choices, the greater good, etc.). It shows how good 24 was because it used plots that are crazy as The Event's but 24 rarely looked as ridiculous as The Event routinely does.[/QUOTE]
I also agree that it does not make any sense that they had this in mind when they started the season. We still don't know what "The Event" is and probably never will find out. Whatever it was supposed to be surely does not fit how they are doing the show now.


I am glad that Sterling was able to outsmart Jarvis. I admit it shouldn't have been difficult to do, but it was still quite satisfying to see it. I still can't believe they went ahead with the drone missile. At least one person stood up to him at that point.

There are two episodes left until the season/series is over.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Josh Steinberg

I know I've said this before, but it's stunning to me to see a president (or acting president) in the Oval Office talking on a cell phone - it would just never happen. Presidents aren't allowed to have cell phones they could use that way, precisely for the reason the show demonstrates - because all of those communications by law are public record, and also because the risk of a potential blackmail or similar type circumstance. Am I really the only person in the viewing audience that knows this? I didn't really think it was top secret.

You're assuming that anybody else knows Jarvis has the cellphone. The show has demonstrated that they do not; he always clears the room before making or taking a call on it. Having a cellphone with a direct line to the leader of the alien force that plans to wipe out humanity would raise some suspicions.

 

[Jim_C]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt


You're assuming that anybody else knows Jarvis has the cellphone. The show has demonstrated that they do not; he always clears the room before making or taking a call on it. Having a cellphone with a direct line to the leader of the alien force that plans to wipe out humanity would raise some suspicions.

But didn't he get a call on his cell phone in the Oval Office while the other guy was there? It rang, Jarvis answered it and then asked him to leave. Did I imagine that?

 

[TravisR]

^ That's what happened. But why is it a rule that a high ranking government official can't have a cell phone IF they only use for calling their kid or ordering a pizza or only for things that can't compromise security?

 

[ScottH]

I seem to remember a story when Obama first went into office that he wanted to keep his Blackberry and they wouldn't let him, but then eventually they did.


Here is something on it: http://goo.gl/6CBnS

 

[NeilO]

By the way, the episode title this week was "One Will Live, One Will Die". That could have referred to the overall conflict or to the two trying to get the virus in the mall. It really doesn't seem to point at anything in the episode in particular, as opposed to most of the other titles of the episodes so far.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Originally Posted by TravisR

^ That's what happened.

But why is it a rule that a high ranking government official can't have a cell phone IF they only use for calling their kid or ordering a pizza or only for things that can't compromise security?

Because, the argument goes... how do we know they're just calling their kid or ordering a pizza? How do we know that they're not making convert calls and subverting the rule of law, or how do we know that someone won't find a way to blackmail them by getting that direct line information? Cell phones are fairly vulnerable to monitoring and hacking from unauthorized personnel - would you want to stake the security of the entire free world on someone's cell phone not getting tapped?


Additionally, there are laws that govern how records are kept and what records need to be kept. Technically speaking, the President of the United States works for us, the people of the United States, and we have a right to know what they're doing in our name. Of course, these records don't get released while that president is still in office, but they do become available after the fact (with national security information and personal information redacted when appropriate). I understand why they need to do things this way. In terms of fictional programming, look no further than Season 5 of "24" -

President Logan is able to arrange an entire illegal conspiracy that involved selling chemical weapons to terrorists for political means, as well as the assassination of a former president, and the attempted murder of Jack Bauer. Now, I'm not saying a real president would do those things, but the laws and regulations as they exist would have made it impossible for Logan to have even had the private communications necessary to commit those illegal acts.





This was a huge deal a couple years ago when Obama was about to be inaugurated - he didn't want to give up his Blackberry. Obama was also the first president we've had to be tech-savvy; Clinton had admitted to basically not knowing how to turn a computer on, and I seem to recall G.W. Bush having said that he emailed all of his close friends before taking office, essentially saying, I'm not gonna be on a computer again for the duration of my term. But I think it is important for the President (or any government official) to have access to the internet and information with the same ease that ordinary citizens have, so they reached a compromise with Obama and his Blackberry. A special one was made with enhanced security protections, and while he's able to use it to browse the web and all that stuff, I believe it doesn't accept phone calls, and the only emails it's capable of sending or receiving have to be to other Blackberrys that were designed with the same restrictions -- essentially, a completely closed network. So if he wants to email his top advisor who has all of the security clearances anyhow and can easily reach the president by phone, just because it might be easier or faster to send an email, he can do that -- but he can't order a pizza.


(When you think about it, it's a far cry from the days when any citizen could walk into the White House without an appointment on a designated time or day of the week, wait in line, and have his turn to speak with the President.)


Unfortunately, as far as me watching television goes, I've read a little too much history to allow me to easily accept a president having a secret cell phone. (I have a friend who's a doctor who has trouble watching medical shows because of inaccuracies due to dramatic license; same idea, I guess.) But it's more than just the cell phone - the way the First Lady was able to ditch her secret service protection to walk into the hospital gift shop unescorted, or the way Jarvis was able to arrange a secret meeting with Sophia by pretending he was seeing a mistress, those things wouldn't have happened like that either. Again, probably just my bad luck in having read a couple books about the secret service the week before I started watching this show! I think everyone has that little something that they can't suspend disbelief on, and those are just my little nitpicks.


The thing is, the writers could easily have adhered to the current government rules, not issued cell phones to the characters, and simply had Sophia call the direct phone in the White House and mumble a line about how her superior technology could make any phone ring undetected. That would have suited me better. Which may just mean I'm being overly critical. As different things in the show become more and more unbelievable, those things become way more obvious to me.


Speaking of unbelievable, I still don't buy that Vicky doesn't take the shot (even if it means Sean might die) when it's such a clear-cut situation: shoot the guy, get the weapon, prevent aliens from being able to destroy all humanity -- or, let the guy go, and hope to catch up to him later. Even if Vicky is growing feelings for this guy (which in and of itself seems a bit too much to imagine), you'd think her survival instinct for her family would have kicked in and made her think, I cannot let this weapon get out of my sight, no matter the cost. I really thought Sean was gonna get caught in the crossfire, and was stunned when there was no firing. C'mon! I hate to say it, and I'm sure I'll never be in a similar situation, but if you put me in the same situation, have a guy holding a gun to my best friend's head, where I know the choice is either don't shoot and the whole human race dies (including, by the way, that friend) or I shoot and as horrible as it is, humanity is one step closer to being saved... I don't really see there being a choice in that circumstance!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Originally Posted by NeilO .

Maybe it's referring to President Martinez? It would seem Jarvis's days would probably be numbered once he wakes up...

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Josh Steinberg

Speaking of unbelievable, I still don't buy that Vicky doesn't take the shot (even if it means Sean might die) when it's such a clear-cut situation: shoot the guy, get the weapon, prevent aliens from being able to destroy all humanity -- or, let the guy go, and hope to catch up to him later. Even if Vicky is growing feelings for this guy (which in and of itself seems a bit too much to imagine), you'd think her survival instinct for her family would have kicked in and made her think, I cannot let this weapon get out of my sight, no matter the cost. I really thought Sean was gonna get caught in the crossfire, and was stunned when there was no firing. C'mon! I hate to say it, and I'm sure I'll never be in a similar situation, but if you put me in the same situation, have a guy holding a gun to my best friend's head, where I know the choice is either don't shoot and the whole human race dies (including, by the way, that friend) or I shoot and as horrible as it is, humanity is one step closer to being saved... I don't really see there being a choice in that circumstance!

Of all the things that bothered you, this one bothered me the most. Sean was even begging her to take the shot; he realized that his one life isn't worth the lives of billions. It was an obvious play by the writers to start shifting the romantic dynamic from Sean and Leila to Sean and Vicky; it didn't feel organic, and it wasn't particularly successful.